Global Handwashing Day

Today is Global Handwashing Day!

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“The guiding vision of Global Handwashing Day is a local and global culture of handwashing with soap. Although people around the world wash their hands with water, very few wash their hands with soap at the critical occasions.”

There even is a dedicated website for this cause with further information on why we actually need a Global Handwashing Day:

“Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections, which take the lives of millions of children in developing countries every year. Together, they are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Yet, despite its lifesaving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote. (…) A vast change in handwashing behavior is critical to meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing deaths among children under the age of five by two-thirds by 2015.”

Have you already washed your hands with soap today?

Author: jke

Hi, I am an engineer who freelances in water & sanitation-related IT projects. You'll also find me on Twitter @saniblog and Instagram.

2 thoughts on “Global Handwashing Day”

  1. First of all let me say that I am very grateful for your maintaining of this blog – sanitation is GREATLY avoided.

    Thank you for shining a light on these often underestimated and even more often unknown ills. Diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, and tuberculosis kill children in masses every day – and it’s sad to know that a few simple hygienic actions could prevent so much death.

  2. Hi Jke,

    thanks for putting the info on the Handwashing Day – I thought about doing so too… Especially since I am quite impressed of how well they achieved to get press on board – I have not seen that IYS had a similar effect regarding awareness raising concerning sanitation… Conclusion: Sanitation has still a lot to learn in PR

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